Thursday, March 1, 2012

PORT SAINT LUCIE, Fla., PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation has stirred up a great deal of controversy over the last week. The extremely large non-profit organization has led efforts to promote breast cancer awareness; however, its growth and its recent foray into politics have many women suspicious of its motives. Sadhana Chalasani, founder of the Pink Ribbon Club, another awareness-promoting organization, has responded to this scandal by maintaining her focus on what really matters: helping women who have breast cancer.

An article by Shari Roan and Eryn Brown in the Los Angeles Times catalogues the many issues that Komen faces. After pulling funding from Planned Parenthood, which provides healthcare and breast cancer screenings to countless women, Komen withstood outraged backlash from many of its supporters. Karen Handel, Komen's Senior Vice President for Public Policy, resigned as a result.

Although the actual controversy surrounding the organization's partnership with Planned Parenthood has largely died down, the scandal has fostered distrust in many members of the public. Roan and Brown comment, "The injection of abortion politics into the mission of fighting breast cancer has prompted thousands of Komen supporters to reevaluate the non-profit group." They also state, according to Daniel Borochoff of CharityWatch, "But the Dallas-based organization has also become known for antagonizing smaller non-profit groups, Borochoff said. As many as 80 charities have received letters from Komen attorneys over the years asking them to refrain from using the Komen-trademarked pink ribbon or the catchphrase 'for the cure.'"

Despite what seems to be Komen's evolution from big charity to big business, Sadhana Chalasani and many other women who promote breast cancer awareness have all but ignored the controversy in order to continue fighting for the cause. The recent antics that Komen has indulged are doing nothing to help women in need; the grassroots efforts of Sadhana Chalasani have helped call attention to not only breast cancer, but the value of a community coming together to raise awareness about this condition while fighting alongside their neighbors who suffer from it.

ABOUT:

A high school student who is passionate about helping others, Sadhana Chalasani spends a large amount of her time working with charitable causes. She has founded a grassroots AIDS advocacy program and the Pink Ribbon Club, an organization that raises funds for and promotes breast cancer awareness. Sadhana Chalasani has been able to shift the perception of these conditions within her school, creating a higher degree of understanding amongst her peers.